CN111461587A

CN111461587A - Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Info

Publication number: CN111461587A
Application number: CN202010019191.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 藤井慎一郎; 福井宏依; 后藤隆志; 重清达也; 阵内邦明; 笹川直人
Original assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Priority date: 2019-01-18
Filing date: 2020-01-08
Publication date: 2020-07-28
Also published as: JP2020119002A; US20200234358A1; JP7243206B2

Abstract

An information processing apparatus is disclosed, which includes a controller. The controller is configured to perform: the method includes acquiring index information indicating a tendency of a store visiting user in an autonomous traveling vehicle as a first store to be interested in a commodity, selecting a recommended commodity that is out of stock in the first store based on the index information, and generating a command to a conveyance device configured to convey the commodity between the autonomous traveling vehicles as the first store or to the autonomous traveling vehicle as a second store that processes the selected recommended commodity so as to move the recommended commodity from the autonomous traveling vehicle as the second store to the autonomous traveling vehicle as the first store.

Description

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method executed by at least one computer, and a program.

Background

The technique disclosed in japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2009-181491 (JP 2009-181491A) aims at preparing an inventory amount of an optimum amount of commodities in each store, thereby preventing the commodities from being out of stock and promoting the sale of the commodities.

Disclosure of Invention

On the other hand, in each store (e.g., retail store), for example, it is necessary to prepare, as an inventory, a commodity that is desired to be provided to a user (e.g., customer). However, since the goods required by each user visiting the shop are different, it is not easy to prepare sufficient stock to meet the needs of many users. There is a limit to the area of each store, and there is also a limit in preparing a desired product as stock. Accordingly, the present invention provides a technique capable of appropriately providing a commodity to a user who visits a certain store without replenishing the stock of the commodity in advance.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus including a controller. The controller is configured to perform: the method includes acquiring index information indicating a tendency of a store visiting user in a first store to be interested in a commodity, selecting a recommended commodity that is not in stock in the first store based on the index information, and generating a command to a carrying apparatus configured to carry the commodity between the first store and a second store or to the second store that handles the selected recommended commodity so as to move the selected recommended commodity from the second store to the first store. A second aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing method executed by at least one computer (for example, the information processing apparatus described above). A third aspect of the present invention relates to a program that causes at least one computer (for example, the information processing apparatus described above) to execute an information processing method.

With this information processing apparatus, it is possible to appropriately provide a commodity to a user who visits a certain store without replenishing the stock of the commodity in advance.

Drawings

The features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, and in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system of the first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an autonomously traveling vehicle in the system of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a server device in the system of fig. 1;

fig. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a handling apparatus in the system of fig. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6A is a diagram conceptually illustrating a portion of the merchandise information database in the system of FIG. 1 as an example;

FIG. 6B is a diagram conceptually illustrating a portion of the merchandise information database in the system of FIG. 1 as an example;

fig. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of an autonomously traveling vehicle in the system of the second embodiment;

fig. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a server device in the system of the second embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart in the system of the second embodiment;

fig. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of an autonomously traveling vehicle in the system of the third embodiment;

fig. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a server device in the system of the third embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart in the system of the third embodiment;

fig. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system of the fourth embodiment; and

fig. 14 shows a part of the flow in the system of fig. 13.

Detailed Description

An information processing apparatus, an information processing method in the information processing apparatus, and a program according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system S1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The system S1 includes the server apparatus 100, a plurality of autonomous traveling vehicles 200, and the carrier apparatus 300. The server device 100 is a computer on the network N. The server device 100 is configured to communicate with the autonomous traveling vehicle 200(200A, 200 b.....) and the handling device 300. In fig. 1, five

vehicles

200A, 200B, 200C, 200D, 200E are represented as autonomous traveling vehicles 200 capable of communicating with the server apparatus 100. Note that five autonomous traveling vehicles 200A to 200E are just examples of autonomous traveling vehicles that substantially constitute one mall M. The number of autonomous traveling vehicles 200 constituting the mall M is not limited to five, and may be any number, for example, ten. In fig. 1, the server apparatus 100 is shown in a mall M. However, in the first embodiment, the server apparatus 100 is actually located outside the mall M. The actual location of the server device 100 may be any location, e.g. may be located in a mall M. The mall M is a so-called shopping mall, which may also be referred to as a shopping mall. In the shopping mall of the present embodiment, the shop is constructed by the autonomous traveling vehicle 200. However, mall M may include autonomous traveling vehicles 200 that can carry packages to a shopping area, including commercial facilities built on ordinary walkways or indoors.

The autonomous traveling Vehicle 200 is also called EV (Electric Vehicle) Pallet. The autonomous traveling vehicle 200 is a moving object capable of autonomous driving and unmanned driving, and has various sizes according to usage. For example, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 having various sizes includes a small vehicle suitable for carrying several books and a large vehicle capable of carrying people and objects. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 are vehicles that can be used as mobile stores, respectively. As mobile stores, retail stores, restaurants, and the like are known, and may include, for example, clothing stores, shoe stores, flower stores, and coffee stores. Hereinafter, description will be made assuming that the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A is used as a mobile shop of a clothing store, and the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B is used as a mobile shop of a shoe store.

Each of the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 has a control function and a communication function that control the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, provide a user interface for a user using the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, transmit and receive information to various servers on the network N, and the like. In addition to the processes that may be performed by the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 alone, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 may cooperate with various servers on the network N to provide the user with functions and services added by the various servers on the network. The autonomously traveling vehicle 200 is not necessarily an unmanned vehicle. For example, a salesperson, a serviceman, a security guard, etc. may board the autonomous traveling vehicle 200. The autonomous traveling vehicle 200 is not necessarily a vehicle capable of traveling completely autonomously. For example, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 may be a vehicle in which a person performs driving and driving assistance as the case may be. In the present embodiment, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 may travel based on a predetermined command (e.g., a predetermined operation command), may function as a mobile store, and may collect or deliver, for example, a package.

Further, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 may have functions of receiving a request from a user, responding to the user, performing predetermined processing on the request from the user, and reporting the processing result to the user. In the case where there is a request that cannot be handled by the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 alone among the requests from the users, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 may handle the request in cooperation with various servers, for example, the request may be transmitted to the server apparatus 100, and the request may be handled in cooperation with the server apparatus 100.

Here, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 may be a device that indicates the operation or the like of other autonomous traveling vehicles 200. In the case where the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 is a mobile store, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 may acquire index information representing a tendency of interest in a commodity by a user who visits the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 (hereinafter, referred to as a store visiting user), and may generate a command to the other autonomous traveling vehicle 200. The autonomously traveling vehicle 200 may then send the command to the other autonomously traveling vehicles 200, either indirectly or directly. Further, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 may transmit the command to the carrier device 300 configured to carry the article between the autonomous traveling vehicles 200, and instruct the operation or the like of the carrier device 300.

The server apparatus 100 is also an apparatus that instructs the operation of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 and the like. Similar to the autonomous traveling vehicle, the server apparatus 100 is configured to acquire index information indicating a tendency of interest in a commodity of a user who visits the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 from a certain autonomous traveling vehicle 200 as a mobile shop, generate a command to the other autonomous traveling vehicle 200, and transmit the command to the other autonomous traveling vehicle 200. The server apparatus 100 may transmit the command to the conveyance apparatus 300 configured to convey the article between the autonomous traveling vehicles 200, and may instruct the operation of the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 or the like. Note that, in the first embodiment, acquiring the index information of the store visiting user and generating the command based on the index information are mainly performed by the autonomous traveling vehicle 200.

Here, the configuration of one of the autonomous traveling vehicles 200A in the mall M will be described with reference to fig. 2. Note that the other autonomous traveling vehicles 200 of the mall M have the same configuration as the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A. However, a sensor (e.g., a goods reader 216 described below) that acquires index information of the user may differ between the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 according to a store type (e.g., a clothing store, a shoe store, etc.).

The autonomous traveling vehicle 200A of fig. 2 includes an information processing device 202, and has a controller 204 basically having the function of the information processing device 202. The autonomous traveling vehicle 200A may travel according to the operation command acquired from the server apparatus 100. Specifically, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A generates a traveling route based on an operation command acquired through the network N, and travels using an appropriate method while sensing the surrounding environment of the vehicle.

The autonomous traveling vehicle 200A includes a sensor 206, a position information acquisition unit 208, a drive unit 210, a communication unit 212, and a storage unit 214 in addition to the controller 204. The autonomous traveling vehicle 200A runs with electric power supplied from a battery.

Here, the sensor 206 is a unit that senses the surrounding environment of the vehicle, and typically includes a stereo camera, a laser scanner, a laser radar (light detection and ranging or laser imaging detection and ranging), a radar, and the like. Information obtained from the sensor 206 is sent to the controller 204. The sensors 206 include sensors provided to allow the host vehicle to perform autonomous travel. The sensor 206 may include a camera disposed in the body of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200. For example, the sensor 206 may include an imaging Device using an image sensor, such as a charge-Coupled Device (CCD), a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS), or a complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS). Multiple cameras may be provided at multiple locations on the body. For example, the cameras may be provided in front of, behind, and to the left and right sides of the vehicle body.

The position information acquiring unit 208 is a unit that acquires the current position of the vehicle, and generally includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and the like. The information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 208 is sent to the controller 204. A global positioning system receiver, which is a satellite signal receiver, receives signals from a plurality of GPS satellites. Each GPS satellite is a satellite moving around the earth. The satellite positioning System (i.e., a Navigation Satellite System (NSS)) is not limited to the GPS. The position information may be detected based on signals from various satellite positioning systems. NSS is not limited to global navigation satellite systems and may include quasi-zenith satellite systems, such as "Galileo" in europe or "Michibiki" in japan operating integrally with the global positioning system.

The controller 204 is a computer that performs control of the host vehicle based on information acquired from the sensor 206, the position information acquisition unit 208, and the like. The controller 204 basically has a function as a shop apparatus in the case where the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A functions as a mobile shop. The controller 204 is an example of a controller that receives an operation command from the server apparatus 100 and controls the travel of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as a moving object.

The controller 204 has a CPU and a main storage unit, and performs information processing using a program. The CPU is also referred to as a processor. The main storage unit of the controller 204 is an example of a main storage device. The CPU in the controller 204 executes a computer program developed to be executable in the main storage unit and provides various functions. A main storage unit in the controller 204 stores computer programs, data, and the like executed by the CPU. The main storage unit in the controller 204 is a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), or the like.

The controller 204 is connected to a storage unit 214. The storage unit 214 is a so-called external storage unit serving as a storage area of the main storage unit of the auxiliary controller 204, and stores computer programs, data, and the like executed by the CPU of the controller 204. The storage unit 214 is a hard Disk drive, a Solid State Disk (SSD), or the like.

The controller 204 has a plan generation unit 2041, an environment detection unit 2042, a task controller 2043, an information acquisition unit 2044, a commodity selection unit 2045, and a command generation unit 2046 as functional modules. Each functional module is implemented by the controller 204, i.e., the CPU in the controller 204 executes a program stored in the main storage unit or storage unit 214.

The plan generating unit 2041 acquires a command from the outside (e.g., the server apparatus 100 or another autonomous traveling vehicle 200), and generates an operation plan of the host vehicle. For example, the plan generating unit 2041 acquires the operation command from the server apparatus 100 and generates the operation plan of the host vehicle. The operation plan is data defining a route along which the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A travels and a process to be performed by the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A in a part or all of the route. As examples of the data included in the operation command, for example, (1) and (2) described below are given.

(1) Data representing a route along which a host vehicle travels over a set of road segments

With reference to the map data stored in the storage unit 214, a route along which the host vehicle travels may be automatically generated based on a given departure place and destination. The route may be generated using an external service.

(2) Data representative of processing performed by a host vehicle at a point on a route

The processes performed by the host vehicle on the route include, but are not limited to, "use as a mobile store," "receive reservation package," "deliver reservation package," and "receive receipt or deposit receipt," for example. The operation plan generated by the plan generation unit 2041 is sent to the task controller 2043 described below.

For example, the plan generating unit 2041 acquires a command for article provision as one kind of operation command, and generates a delivery plan from the host vehicle to another vehicle (e.g., another autonomous traveling vehicle 200 or a conveying apparatus 300 configured to convey an article to another autonomous traveling vehicle 200). The delivery plan of the article is data defining a process of delivering the article to another autonomous traveling vehicle 200 or the handling apparatus 300.

Further, the plan generating unit 2041 acquires an article reception command, which is one type of operation command, and generates a reception plan of an article from another vehicle (e.g., another autonomous traveling vehicle 200 or the handling apparatus 300) to the host vehicle. The reception plan of the article is data defining a process of receiving the article supplied from another autonomous traveling vehicle 200 or the carrier device 300. Examples of data including a reception plan for an item are, but not limited to, for example, information about an item to be received (e.g., may include the type of item and the number of items). The reception plan for the commodity generated by the plan generation unit 2041 is sent to the task controller 2043 described below.

The environment detection unit 2042 detects the environment around the vehicle based on the data acquired by the sensor 206. The detected objects are, but not limited to, for example, the number or position of lanes, the number or position of vehicles around the host vehicle, the number or position of obstacles (e.g., pedestrians, bicycles, structures, buildings, etc.) around the host vehicle, road structures, road signs, etc. Detection of any object may be applied as long as the detected object is required for autonomous travel. The environment detection unit 2042 can track the detected object. For example, the difference between the coordinates of the object detected in the previous step and the current coordinates of the object may be used to obtain the relative speed of the object. Data relating to the environment detected by the environment detection unit 2042 (hereinafter referred to as environment data) is sent to a task controller 2043 described below.

The task controller 2043 controls the travel of the host vehicle, and the like, based on the operation plan generated by the plan generation unit 2041, the environment data generated by the environment detection unit 2042, and the position information of the host vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition unit 208. For example, the task controller 2043 causes the host vehicle to travel along a predetermined route so that an obstacle does not enter a predetermined safe area centered on the host vehicle. A known method may be adopted as a method of making the vehicle travel autonomously. The task controller 2043 executes the delivery processing of the commodity based on the delivery plan for the commodity generated by the plan generation unit 2041, or executes the reception processing of the commodity based on the reception plan for the commodity generated by the plan generation unit 2041. In this way, the task controller 2043 also performs tasks other than travel control.

In the case where the host vehicle is operated as a mobile store, the information acquisition unit 2044 acquires index information representing a tendency of a store visiting user who visits the mobile store to be interested in commodities. Here, the index information is generated and acquired by executing predetermined processing according to a predetermined stored program based on the information acquired by the article reader 216. The processing of the store visiting user's merchandise may be read by the merchandise reader 216. Then, the information acquisition unit 2044 acquires index information based on the information acquired by the commodity reader 216. Further, the information acquisition unit 2044 acquires the inventory information database 2141 and the like stored in the storage unit 214 at regular time intervals, and transmits the inventory information database 2141 to the external server apparatus 100.

The article reader 216 is an example of an article sensor, and is a reader/writer, i.e., a reader of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), in the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A. In this case, an RF tag as a noncontact IC tag is attached to the commercial product. For example, in a case where a store visiting user brings clothing, which is a commodity to be handled by the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A, into a partial area (for example, a changing room) of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A serving as a clothing store, an RF tag attached to the clothing is read by a commodity reader 216 provided in the changing room. In this way, the controller 204 may obtain information representative of trends of interest to the store visiting user prior to purchase of the merchandise by the store visiting user. In the RF tag, information of an article, for example, a manufacturer name, a brand name, a model number, etc., may be included. Such information may be obtained through a purchase of goods by store visiting users.

The article selection unit 2045 selects an inventory-free recommended article in the host vehicle based on the index information acquired by the information acquisition unit 2044. Here, the article selection unit 2045 of the controller 204 is configured to access the article information database 1062, i.e., article information, provided from the server device 100. Then, the article selection unit 2045 of the controller 204 searches the article information database 1062 based on the index information, thereby selecting an article. The selected commodity becomes a recommended commodity.

In the case where the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 includes a user reader that reads user information from a terminal or the like carried by the user, a device capable of inputting user information, or the like, the article selection unit 2045 may select a recommended article more suitable for the user based on the user information. For example, a user ID may be acquired as the user information. In this case, a copy of the user information database 1061 may be provided from the storage unit 106 of the server apparatus 100 and stored in the storage unit 214. The user information database 1061 is configured such that characteristics (e.g., sex, age, or physique) and the like of the store visiting user are searchable based on the user ID. Here, although the user information database 1061 is provided from a management server that manages user information to the server apparatus 100, the present invention is not limited thereto.

The command generation unit 2046 generates a command to be supplied (i.e., a command to be sent to the outside), and sends the command to the outside. Examples of the command include the above-described operation command. For example, the operation command is generated, for example, as a command to cause another autonomous traveling vehicle to travel to provide a recommended article. In the case where the recommended commodity is selected by the commodity selection unit 2045, a commodity provision command, which is one type of operation command, is generated as a command to move the recommended commodity from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 (i.e., mobile store) on which the recommended commodity is loaded to a provision destination of the recommended commodity. In generating the command, the position information of the vehicle information database 1063 provided from the server apparatus 100 and stored in the storage unit 214 is referred to, and the information about the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 that transmitted the command is extracted. In the case where the user information of the store visiting user is acquired, a part or all of the user information may be included in the command. When the recommended article is carried along with the user information included in the command, the recommended article may be directly provided to the store visiting user.

The drive unit 210 is a unit that causes the host vehicle to travel or perform delivery and reception of commodities based on commands generated by the task controller 2043. The drive unit 210 includes, for example, a motor for driving wheels, an inverter, a brake, a steering mechanism, a secondary battery, and the like. The driving unit 210 includes a motor or the like in a mechanism for carrying out parcel carrying-out or carrying-in for parcel delivery.

The communication unit 212 has a communication function for connecting the information processing apparatus 202 (i.e., the controller 204) to the network N. In the present embodiment, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A may communicate with another device (e.g., the server device 100) through the network N. The communication unit 212 also has a communication unit that allows the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as a host vehicle to perform inter-vehicle communication with other autonomous traveling vehicles 200(200 b....).

The autonomous traveling vehicle 200A may have a unit for loading packages, a showcase, or a unit of a cooking chamber. The autonomous traveling vehicle 200A includes a mechanism that delivers only predetermined parcels among the plurality of parcels. For example, an accommodation device having a plurality of accommodation areas (also referred to as blocks) may be provided in a vehicle compartment, and only the blocks may be allowed to be unlocked. The autonomous traveling vehicle 200A includes a mechanism to deliver the loaded package to another device. For example, the autonomous vehicle 200A may include a mechanism to connect to an external containment device (e.g., a home delivery locker) and deliver a package. The autonomous traveling vehicle 200A includes a device that performs electronic payment in selling goods or the like. The autonomous traveling vehicle 200A may include a device that issues a receipt or deposit receipt. These units (e.g., mechanisms or devices) are controlled by a task controller 2043.

Next, the server apparatus 100 will be described with reference to fig. 3. The server apparatus 100 is capable of communicating with the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 and the carrier apparatus 300. The server apparatus 100 manages the operation or state of all autonomous traveling vehicles 200 in the shopping mall M.

The server apparatus 100 has a communication unit 102, a controller 104, and a storage unit 106. The communication unit 102 is the same as the communication unit 212, and has a communication function for connecting the server apparatus 100 to the network N. The controller 104 has a CPU and a main storage unit, and performs information processing using a program, similarly to the controller 204. Of course, the CPU is also a processor, and the main storage unit of the controller 104 is also an example of the main storage device. The CPU in the controller 104 executes a computer program developed to be executable in the main storage unit, and provides various functions. A main storage unit in the controller 104 stores computer programs, data, and the like executed by the CPU. The main storage unit in the controller 104 is DRAM, SRAM, ROM, or the like.

The controller 104 is connected to a storage unit 106. The storage unit 106 is an external storage unit, is used as a storage area of the main storage unit of the auxiliary controller 104, and stores computer programs, data, and the like executed by the CPU of the controller 104. The storage unit 106 is a hard disk drive, SSD, or the like.

The controller 104 is a unit that controls the server apparatus 100. The controller 104 has an information acquisition unit 1041, a commodity management unit 1042, a vehicle management unit 1043, and a command generation unit 1044 as functional modules. These functional modules are realized by the CPU of the controller 104 executing a program stored in the main storage unit or the storage unit 106.

The information acquisition unit 1041 of the server apparatus 100 acquires information on the inventory of goods or information on a command or the like from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200. The information acquisition unit 1041 accesses the commodity information database 1062 or the vehicle information database 1063 stored in the storage unit 106, and provides a copy of the commodity information database 1062 or the vehicle information database 1063 to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200. The information acquisition unit 1041 may access the user information database 1061 stored in the storage unit 106, and may provide a copy of the user information database 1061 to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200.

The goods management unit 1042 sorts and stores information on the loaded goods provided from the information acquisition units 2044 of all the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 in the shopping mall M in the goods information database 1062 of the storage unit 106. Here, the goods information database 1062 includes information on goods related to all autonomous traveling vehicles 200 (i.e., mobile stores) in the M mall. In the storage unit 214 of each autonomous traveling vehicle 200, the inventory information database 2141 includes information on the inventory of articles loaded on the host vehicle. The information of the inventory information database 2141 is transmitted from the information acquisition unit 2044 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 to the goods management unit 1042 of the controller 104 of the server apparatus 100, and is stored in the goods information database 1062. The article information database 1062 is configured such that information on articles loaded on all of the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 in the M mall is searchable based on the index information. Programs or data necessary for the construction are stored in the storage unit 106, but may be stored in a main storage unit of the controller 104. In the article information database 1062 of the first embodiment, information on articles is associated with information on a mobile shop that handles articles (i.e., information on the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, such as a vehicle ID).

The vehicle management unit 1043 manages the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 under management. Specifically, the server apparatus 100 receives information (e.g., data related to the autonomous traveling vehicles 200) from all the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 in the mall M at a predetermined cycle, and the vehicle management unit 1043 of the controller 104 stores the received information in the vehicle information database 1064 of the storage unit 106. The position information and the vehicle information are used as information on the autonomous traveling vehicle 200. The vehicle information is, for example, but not limited to, an identifier of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, a use or classification of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, information on an armed point (garage or business office), a door type, a body size, a trunk size, a loading capacity, a traveling range after being fully charged, a traveling range at a current time, a current status, and the like. The current status includes the type of store, the number or type of items loaded, and the like.

The command generating unit 1044 corresponds to the command generating unit 2046 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 and has the same function as that of the command generating unit 2046 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200. For example, in a case where the server apparatus 100 acquires information for constructing the mall M, the command generation unit 1044 generates a command, specifically, an operation command, to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 so that the mall M is constructed in a predetermined period of time, and transmits the operation command to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200.

Next, the carrier apparatus 300 will be described. As shown in fig. 1, the carrier 300 moves around the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 (i.e., mobile stores) in the M mall, and performs reception and delivery of goods between the mobile stores. Similar to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, the carrier device 300 is configured to perform autonomous traveling. As shown in fig. 1, the handling apparatus 300 is configured to move in a predetermined direction at a position corresponding to the inside of each autonomous traveling vehicle 200 included in the mall M (i.e., backyard), but may also move in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction.

The handling apparatus 300 will be further described with reference to fig. 4. The conveyance apparatus 300 includes an information processing apparatus 302, and has a controller 304 basically having the function of the information processing apparatus 302. The handling apparatus 300 is a vehicle that operates according to a command acquired from the server apparatus 100, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, or the like, and travels according to the acquired operation command, for example. Specifically, the carrier device 300 generates a travel route based on an operation command acquired through the network N, and travels on a road using an appropriate method while sensing the surroundings of the vehicle. The carrying apparatus 300 can carry an article from a certain mobile shop to another mobile shop based on an article providing instruction acquired through the network N.

The conveyance apparatus 300 includes a sensor 306, a position information acquisition unit 308, a drive unit 310, a communication unit 312, and a storage unit 314, in addition to the controller 304. The handling apparatus 300 is operated by power supplied from a battery. In the conveying apparatus 300, the controller 304, the sensor 306, the position information acquisition unit 308, the drive unit 310, the communication unit 312, and the storage unit 314 correspond to the controller 204, the sensor 206, the position information acquisition unit 208, the drive unit 210, the communication unit 212, and the storage unit 214 in the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, respectively. The controller 304 has a plan generating unit 3041, an environment detecting unit 3042, and a task controller 3043 as functional modules. The functional modules correspond to the plan generation unit 2041, the environment detection unit 2042, and the task controller 2043 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, respectively, and are implemented by the controller 304 (i.e., the CPU in the controller 304 executes a program stored in the main storage unit or the storage unit 314 of the controller 304). As such, the components and functional modules of the conveying apparatus 300 correspond to those of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, and thus the description of their duplicated parts will be omitted. That is, similar to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, as described above, the carrier device 300 may perform autonomous traveling toward the destination.

In fig. 1 to 4, the server apparatus 100, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200, and the carrier apparatus 300 are connected through the same network N. For example, the network connecting the server apparatus 100 and the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 may be different from the network connecting the server apparatus 100 and the carrier apparatus 300.

Information processing in each information processing apparatus of the system S1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an information processing flow between the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as a mobile shop corresponding to a first shop and the conveying apparatus 300 configured to convey commodities between the first shop and a second shop or the like. In fig. 5, time is taken from the upper side to the lower side in the figure, and information processing therebetween is shown.

In the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as a mobile store corresponding to the first store, for example, in a case where a store visiting user holds or carries an article in his or her hand, and the article arrives at a predetermined area, the article reader 216 reads an RF tag of the article. Thereby, the information acquisition unit 2044 of the controller 204 can acquire the information of the article (the interpretation in step S501 is affirmative).

The information acquisition unit 2044 of the controller 204 executes predetermined processing in accordance with a predetermined program based on the acquired article information to generate and acquire index information (step S503).

In the mall M of the first embodiment, a clothing store, a shoe store, and the like are provided as the mobile stores, and the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A serves as the mobile store of the clothing store. In the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as the first store, in the case where a store visiting user enters a changing room with "clothing 1" carried, the article reader 216 reads an RF tag attached to the article "clothing 1", thereby acquiring information of the article "clothing 1". Then, the information acquisition unit 2044 of the controller 204 performs predetermined processing based on the information of the article "clothing 1", thereby generating and acquiring index information representing a tendency in which the store visiting user is interested. The generation of the index information is performed according to the program stored in the storage unit. For example, the generated index information includes information on the type "party" of the product "clothing 1". Thus, another item (i.e., recommended item) suitable for the type "party" may be selected in the steps described below. In the index information, not only the type of the article "clothing 1" but also information on size, gender (e.g., male or female), color, and the like may be included. The index information also includes information on the clothing of the product "clothing 1". This is to restrict goods handled by the mobile shop from being repeatedly recommended in the case where the shop visiting user selects the clothes.

The article selection unit 2045 of the controller 204 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A selects a recommended article based on the acquired index information (step S505). The article information database 1062 stored in the storage unit 106 is searched based on the index information, thereby causing the controller 204 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A (specifically, the article selecting unit 2045 of the controller 204) to select an article that is not in the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A, that is, an inventory-free recommended article in the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A.

An example of the goods information database 1062 is shown in fig. 6A and 6B. Fig. 6A shows first data on the article "clothing" in the article information database 1062. The article selection unit 2045 of the controller 204 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A excludes the first data of fig. 6A from the data to be searched based on the index information. This is because the "clothing" information is included in the acquired index information as described above. Then, the article selection unit 2045 searches the article information database 1062 for the second data shown in fig. 6B. The second data of fig. 6B is data relating to the article "shoe", and is configured to be searchable based on index information (e.g., a type in the index information). The second data D2 of fig. 6B of the commodity information database 1062 is constructed based on the inventory information database 2141 of the storage unit 214 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B. The first data D1 of fig. 6A of the commodity information database 1062 is constructed based on the inventory information database 2141 of the storage unit 214 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A. The article selection unit 2045 searches the second data of fig. 6B of the article information database 1062 based on the acquired index information, thereby selecting the article "shoe 2".

In this case, since the second data of fig. 6B of the article information database 1062 is associated with the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B, the recommended article is selected, whereby the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B as the mobile shop that handles the recommended article is also specified. The designated autonomous traveling vehicle 200B corresponds to the second shop.

In this way, when the recommended commodity is selected and the second shop that handles the recommended commodity is specified as the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B, a command is generated and transmitted to move the commodity "shoe 2" as the recommended commodity from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A (step S507). In the command described here, the store information of the first store, specifically, the position information of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A and the like are included in addition to the information of the recommended article. In the first embodiment, in a state where the shopping mall M is constructed, the mobile shop is deployed in the shopping mall M, that is, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B does not move. The command generating unit 2046 of the controller 204 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A transmits the command to the conveyance device 300 so as to move the recommended article from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A. In this case, the command generating unit 2046 also transmits the command to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B as the second shop. This is for delivering the article "shoe 2" to the handling apparatus 300.

In the present embodiment, the merchandise selection unit 2045 searches the second data D2 based on the inventory information database 2141 of the storage unit 214 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B. However, the article selection unit 2045 does not necessarily perform such processing. For example, the commodity selection unit 2045 may search both the first data D1 and the second data D2 based on the index information, and may further calculate the score of the commodity based on the characteristics (sex, age, or physique) of the store visiting user and the like obtained as described above, for example. Then, in a case where there is a commodity having a high score on the feature of the store visiting user in the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B, the commodity selection unit 2045 selects the commodity as a recommended commodity, and the command generation unit 2046 may generate a command to move the recommended commodity from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A.

When the command is acquired (affirmative judgment in step S509), the conveying apparatus 300 and the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B perform conveying of the article "shoe 2" as the recommended article to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A (step S511). This includes generating a plan with the plan generating unit in each of the transporting apparatus 300 and the

autonomous traveling vehicles

200A, 200B, and executing the plan using each of the

task controllers

2043, 3043.

As the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B moves by autonomous traveling or the like, in a case where the recommended article may be moved to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as the first shop, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A may transmit the generated command only to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B (step S507). As such, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B may autonomously travel to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A in the case where the command is received.

As described above, in the case where the host vehicle is the mobile shop as the first shop, and in the case where the index information of the shop visiting user is acquired in the first shop, the controller 204 of the information processing apparatus 202 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A selects the recommended article based on the index information, and then generates a command to the conveyance apparatus 300 or the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B as the second shop so as to move the recommended article from the mobile shop as the second shop to the mobile shop as the first shop. In this way, the movement of the article can be appropriately performed based on the command. Therefore, the commodity of the second store, which is another store, can be recommended to the store visiting user who visits the first store. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately provide the commodities to the store visiting user who visits the first store without previously replenishing the stock of the commodities.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The system according to the second embodiment is basically the same as the above-described system S1, but is different from the above-described system of the first embodiment in that selection of a recommended commodity based on the acquired index information or the like is performed by the server apparatus 100. Hereinafter, the difference will be mainly described. Parts corresponding to those already described are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of overlapping parts will be omitted.

As shown in fig. 7, the controller 204 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A has a plan generating unit 2041, an environment detecting unit 2042, a task controller 2043, and an information acquiring unit 2044 as functional modules, but does not include the above-described commodity selecting unit 2045 or command generating unit 2046. In contrast, as shown in fig. 8, the controller 104 of the server apparatus 100 as an information processing apparatus has a commodity selection unit 1045 as a functional module in addition to the information acquisition unit 1041, the commodity management unit 1042, the vehicle management unit 1043, and the command generation unit 1044. The commodity selection unit 1045 substantially corresponds to the commodity selection unit 2045 described above. Therefore, detailed description of the commodity selection unit 1045 will not be repeated. As a result, as shown in fig. 7, in the storage unit 106 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A, a copy of the commodity information database 1062 or the vehicle information database 1064 is not stored.

Information processing in various information processing apparatuses of the system having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of information processing between the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as a mobile shop corresponding to the first shop, the server apparatus 100, and the conveyance apparatus 300 configured to convey commodities between the first shop and the second shop. In fig. 9, time proceeds from the upper side to the lower side in the figure, as shown in fig. 5, and information processing therebetween is demonstrated.

In the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as the mobile store corresponding to the first store, in the case where information of a commodity attracting the interest of the store visiting user is acquired (the interpretation in step S901 is affirmative), the information acquisition unit 2044 of the controller 204 generates index information based on the acquired information of the commodity according to a predetermined program, and transmits the index information to the server apparatus 100 (step S903). Note that, in generating the index information, the information of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A is attached to the index information. Step S901 corresponds to step S501 of fig. 5.

In the case where the index information is acquired from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as the mobile shop corresponding to the first shop (the interpretation in step S905 is affirmative), the server apparatus 100 selects the recommended article (step S907). As in the first embodiment, here, the second shop is designated as, for example, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B. Steps S903 and S905 correspond to step S503 of fig. 5, and step S907 corresponds to step S505 of fig. 5.

In this way, in a case where the recommended commodity is selected and the second shop that handles the recommended commodity is designated as the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B, a command is generated and transmitted to move the recommended commodity from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A (step S909). In the command described here, the store information of the first store, and specifically, the position information of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A and the like are included. The commands include an operation command, a delivery command for the package, and a receipt command for the package. In the second embodiment, in a state where the shopping mall M is constructed, the mobile shop is deployed in the shopping mall M, that is, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B does not move. The command generating unit 1044 of the controller 104 of the server apparatus 100 transmits the command to the conveyance apparatus 300 so as to move the recommended article from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A. In this case, the command generating unit 1044 also transmits the command to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B as the second shop. This is for delivering the article "shoe 2" to the handling apparatus 300.

When the command is acquired (affirmative judgment in step S911), the conveyance apparatus 300 and the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B perform conveyance of the article "shoe 2" as the recommended article to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A (step S913). This includes generating a plan with the plan generating unit in each of the transporting apparatus 300 and the

autonomous traveling vehicles

200A, 200B, and executing the plan with each of the

task controllers

2043, 3043.

In a case where the recommended article may be moved to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as the first shop as the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B moves, the server apparatus 100 transmits the generated command to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B (step S909), but may not transmit the command to the conveying apparatus 300. As such, in the case where the command is received, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B may perform autonomous traveling to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A.

As described above, in the case where the index information of the store visiting user is acquired in the mobile store as the first store, the server apparatus 100 as the information processing apparatus may select the recommended commodity based on the index information, and then, may generate a command including the store information of the first store and the like and transmit the command to the mobile store as the second store or the conveying apparatus 300 so as to move the recommended commodity from the mobile store as the second store to the mobile store as the first store. Therefore, the commodity of the second store, which is another store, can be recommended to the store visiting user who visits the first store. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately provide the commodities to the store visiting user who visits the first store without previously replenishing the stock of the commodities.

Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described focusing mainly on the difference from the second embodiment. Parts corresponding to those already described are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of overlapping parts will be omitted. In the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the server apparatus 100 performs selection of a recommended article based on the acquired index information, and performs generation of a command accompanying the selection of the recommended article. However, these types of processing may be performed by the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 as in the first embodiment.

In the third embodiment, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 has the same configuration as the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 in the second embodiment described above. Further, as shown in fig. 10, the controller 204 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 includes a provision determination unit 2047 as a functional module. The provision determination unit 2047 is configured as a functional unit that: in the case where the supply of the recommended article is requested, it is determined whether the recommended article can be supplied, and processing is executed according to the determination result. In response to this, as shown in fig. 11, the controller 104 of the server apparatus 100 further has a store decision unit 1046 as a functional module, and the store decision unit 1046 decides a store for providing recommended merchandise. That is, the goods and the stores are not associated with each other in the goods information database 1062. The goods and the stores may be associated with each other in the goods information database 1062, and even in this case, the above-described provision determination unit 2047 or the store decision unit 1046 may be provided so as to confirm the stock condition of the goods.

In a case where another autonomous traveling vehicle 200 is requested to provide a certain recommended article, the provision determining unit 2047 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 determines whether the recommended article can be provided, and performs processing according to the determination result. Here, the inventory information database 2141 stored in the storage unit 214 is searched, and thereby the provision determining unit 2047 determines whether the recommended merchandise requested to be provided can be provided. In the case where the host vehicle is operated as a mobile shop, the task controller 2043 of the controller 204 updates the inventory information database 2141 that records the state of inventory of commodities, based on, for example, information (e.g., barcode information) of sales of the commodities. In the case where the host vehicle is operated as a mobile shop, the task controller 2043 also updates and stores information of inventory items into the inventory information database 2141. Then, in the case where determination is made as to whether the recommended article requested to be provided can be provided, the provision determination unit 2047 provides information on the determination result to the server apparatus 100. In the case where determination is made that the recommended article requested to be provided can be provided, the provision determining unit 2047 may provide the article providing command to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 as another mobile shop to the plan generating unit 2041, and for example, position information of the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A, the type, the number, and the like of articles to be provided may be provided.

The shop decision unit 1046 of the server apparatus 100 collects determination results from the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 (in this case, all of the autonomous traveling vehicles 200(200 b...) (200 b...)) included in the shopping mall M, and designates one or more autonomous traveling vehicles 200 as a second shop. The number of recommended items may be plural unless the recommended items are the same.

Information processing in various information processing apparatuses of the system having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of information processing between the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as a mobile shop corresponding to a first shop, the server apparatus 100, and the carrier apparatus 300 configured to carry articles between the first shop and a second shop or the like. In fig. 12, time proceeds from the upper side to the lower side in the figure as in fig. 5, and information processing therebetween is demonstrated. Steps S1201 to S1205 and S1217 to S1221 of fig. 12 substantially correspond to steps S901 to S905 and S909 to S913 of fig. 9, respectively, and thus detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

In the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as the mobile store corresponding to the first store, in the case where the article information is acquired (the determination in step S1201 is affirmative), the information acquisition unit 2044 of the controller 204 generates the index information based on the acquired article information and transmits the index information to the server apparatus 100 (step S1203).

In a case where the index information is acquired from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as the mobile shop corresponding to the first shop (affirmative judgment in step S1205), the article selection unit 1045 of the server apparatus 100 selects a recommended article (step S1207). The selection of the recommended article is performed based on the index information. The article information database 1062 is searched based on the index information, so that the controller 104 of the server apparatus 100 (specifically, the article selection unit 1045 of the controller 104) selects an article that is not in the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A, that is, a recommended article that is out of stock (step S1207). Then, in order to inquire whether the recommended commodity can be provided to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as the first store, information on the recommended commodity is transmitted to all the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 except the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A in the shopping mall M (200 b...), i.e., the mobile store (step S1207).

In all the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 except the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A, in the case where the information on the recommended article is acquired (the judgment in step S1209 is affirmative), the provision determination unit 2047 of the controller 204 determines whether the recommended article can be provided and transmits (i.e., returns) the determination result to the server device 100 (step S1211). In the determination, the information of the inventory information database 2141 of the storage unit 214 is employed.

Then, in the server apparatus 100, the shop decision unit 1046 of the controller 104 collects the determination result from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 (step S1213), and specifies the second shop (step S1215). The designation of the second shop is performed based on the determination result that the recommended article can be provided. For example, as described in the first embodiment, the store decision unit 1046 may calculate a score of the merchandise based on the characteristics (e.g., sex, age, or physique) of the store visiting user with respect to the determination result collected from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200. Then, an autonomous traveling vehicle having a good stock of the feature of the store visiting user with a high score is designated as the second vehicle. In the case of performing the calculation of the score of the commodity, the shop decision unit 1046 may calculate the score of the commodity in the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A as the mobile shop corresponding to the first shop in addition to the determination result collected from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200. Then, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 of the good having the high score may be specified as the second shop from among all the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 including the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A.

In this way, in the case where the recommended article is selected and the second shop that handles the recommended article is specified, a command is generated to move the recommended article from the specified second shop (for example, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200B) to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A, and the command is transmitted to the conveying apparatus 300 or the like (step S1217).

When the command is acquired (affirmative judgment in step S1219), the conveying apparatus 300 or the like performs the conveyance of the recommended article to the autonomous traveling vehicle 200A (step S1221).

As described above, in the case where the index information of the store visiting user is acquired in the mobile store as the first store, the server apparatus 100 as the information processing apparatus may select the recommended commodity based on the index information, and then, may transmit the information on the recommended commodity to the store other than the first store in the mall M to specify the second store based on the result of communication with the store, and may transmit the store information of the first store and the like, thereby causing the recommended commodity to move from the second store to the first store. Thus, the recommended item can be reliably recommended to the store visiting user of the first store according to the stock condition of the second store.

Next, a fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described. The fourth embodiment will be described focusing on the difference from the third embodiment. Parts corresponding to those already described are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of overlapping parts will be omitted.

A system S2 in a fourth embodiment is shown in fig. 13. In the fourth embodiment, in a case where a second shop that can provide the recommended article in common cannot be specified in the shop M, the recommended article may be provided from outside the shop M. As shown in fig. 13, the server apparatus 100 related to the mall M is configured to communicate with a server apparatus 100Z outside the mall M through the network N. The server apparatus 100Z is configured to communicate with the

autonomous traveling vehicles

200p, 200q, 200r through the network N.

In the M mall, even if the shop decision unit 1046 of the controller 104 of the server apparatus 100 collects the determination result from the autonomous traveling vehicle 200 (step S1213 of fig. 12), since there is no determination result that the recommended article can be provided, the second shop cannot be specified. This will be described with reference to fig. 14. Fig. 14 shows only the steps inserted between steps S1213 and S1217 of fig. 12.

In a case where the second shop cannot be specified (negative judgment in step S1401), information inquiring whether the recommended article can be provided (specifically, information including information on the recommended article) is generated and transmitted to the outside of the mall M (step S1403). In this way, the server apparatus 100Z having the same configuration as the server apparatus 100 in the mall M can receive the information on the recommended goods, and the shop decision unit 1046 of the controller 104 of the server apparatus 100Z can collect the determination results of the possibility of providing the recommended goods from the

autonomous traveling vehicles

200p, 220q, 200 r. As a result, the server device 100 can receive the determination result (step S1405).

Then, in a case where the store decision unit 1046 of the server apparatus 100 specifies the second store based on the determination result that the recommended commodity can be provided (the determination in step S1401 is affirmative), an operation command to carry the recommended commodity from the second store to the first store is generated, and the operation command is transmitted to, for example, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200p as the second store. The command includes store information for the first store. As such, for example, in a case where the autonomous traveling vehicle 200p is specified as the second shop, the autonomous traveling vehicle 200p may receive shop information of the first shop and may perform autonomous traveling to the first shop.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, in the case where a recommended article for the user visiting the store of the first store is selected, the possibility of providing the recommended article can be inquired to the mobile store in the store, and in the case where the recommended article cannot be provided by the mobile store in the store, the information can be transmitted to the outside of the store. Therefore, although the recommended article is recommended quickly mainly to the store visiting user of the first store, the recommended article can be recommended to the store visiting user more reliably.

Four embodiments of the present invention have been described above. In these embodiments, in the second to fourth embodiments, the server apparatus 100 performs selection of a recommended article and generation and transmission of a command for carrying the recommended article. However, as in the first embodiment, the whole of these types of processing may be performed on the shop side (i.e., the autonomous traveling vehicle side). Only a part of these types of processing may be performed on the autonomous traveling vehicle side.

Alternatively, information may be transmitted and received between the autonomous traveling vehicles 200 at regular time intervals without passing through the server device 100, and a commodity information database or the like may be built or updated. In this case, the recommended article can be appropriately selected in the autonomous traveling vehicle.

The embodiments described above are merely examples, and the present invention may be carried out with appropriate modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The processes or units described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction is created.

A process described as being performed by one device may be shared and performed by a plurality of devices. For example, the server apparatus 100 as an information processing apparatus is not necessarily one computer, and may be configured as a system including a plurality of computers. Alternatively, processes described as being performed by different devices may be performed by one device. In the computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) that realizes each function can be flexibly changed.

The present invention can also be implemented by supplying a computer with a computer program equipped with the functions described in the above-described embodiments, and causing one or more processors in the computer to read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to a computer through a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to a system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer through a network. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium includes, for example, any type of disk such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk (registered trademark), Hard Disk Drive (HDD), etc.) or an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD disk, blu-ray disk, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus includes a controller configured to execute

Acquiring index information indicating a tendency of a store visiting user in a first store to be interested in a commodity,

selecting a recommended commodity that is out of stock in the first store based on the index information, an

Generating a command to a handling apparatus configured to handle items between the first store and the second store or to the second store processing the selected recommended items so as to move the selected recommended items from the second store to the first store.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to access merchandise information related to a plurality of stores including the second store and configured to be searchable based on the index information; and is

Selecting the recommended commodity includes selecting the recommended commodity based on the commodity information.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

in the commodity information, a commodity and a store are associated with each other; and is

Selecting the recommended item includes specifying the second store associated with the selected recommended item.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to further perform transmitting information about the selected recommended merchandise to the plurality of stores so as to inquire whether the selected recommended merchandise can be provided to the first store, and to specify the second store based on a result of communication with the plurality of stores.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to access merchandise information, the merchandise information being related to a plurality of stores and configured to be searchable based on the index information;

selecting the recommended commodity includes selecting the recommended commodity based on the commodity information; and is

The controller is configured to further perform: transmitting information on the selected recommended commodity to a plurality of stores of a mall including the first store to inquire whether the selected recommended commodity can be provided to the first store, and transmitting the information on the selected recommended commodity to the outside of the mall in a case where the second store cannot be specified based on a result of communication with the plurality of stores of the mall.

6. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the carrier or the second store is configured to perform autonomous travel to the first store if the command is received.

7. Information processing method in which at least one computer executes

8. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein:

the at least one computer is configured to access merchandise information related to a plurality of stores including the second store and configured to be searchable based on the indicator information; and is

9. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein:

Selecting the recommended item includes specifying a second store associated with the selected recommended item.

10. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one computer is configured to further perform transmitting information relating to the selected recommended merchandise to the plurality of stores, so as to inquire whether the selected recommended merchandise can be provided to the first store, and designate the second store based on a result of communication with the plurality of stores.

11. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein:

the at least one computer is configured to access merchandise information, the merchandise information being related to a plurality of stores and configured to be searchable based on the indicator information;

The at least one computer is configured to further perform: transmitting information on the selected recommended commodity to a plurality of stores of a mall including the first store to inquire whether the selected recommended commodity can be provided to the first store, and transmitting the information on the selected recommended commodity to the outside of the mall in a case where the second store cannot be specified based on a result of communication with the plurality of stores of the mall.

12. The information processing method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the carrier or the second store is configured to perform autonomous travel to the first store if the command is received.

13. Program causing at least one computer to execute